Permanent TSB cuts back

Permanent TSB is to dispose of eight of its Dublin branches as part of a review of its office network

Permanent TSB is to dispose of eight of its Dublin branches as part of a review of its office network. The group is also to offload two branches each in Cork and Athlone and one in Galway, to reduce overheads.

Four of the Dublin offices going for sale are freehold properties while the other four are leasehold interests. The best located of the freehold branches is 16/17 College Green, which is expected to make in the region of €1.35 million.

The building, located directly opposite the Central Bank, has a ground floor area of 258sq m (2,777sq ft) and a basement of 82sq m (882sq ft). It originally formed part of the Guinness Mahon head office where the upper floors were sold off around 10 years ago. The ground floor premises is located along an extremely busy shopping and entertainment stretch at College Green and is likely to appeal both to investors and traders, particularly restaurateurs. If a buyer does not emerge at this stage, agents Douglas Newman Good will then seek to lease the building at around €100,000 per annum.

The same agency is also attempting to assign the lease of the former Permanent TSB branch at Main Street, Clondalkin, Co Dublin. The two-storey building has a floor area of just over 151sq m (1,625sq ft) and is held under a modern 25-year lease from 2007 at a current rent of €67,000 per annum.

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Agents CB Richard Ellis are seeking €550,000 for the Permanent TSB branch at Sundrive Road in Kimmage, Dublin 12. It is close to the Sundrive shopping centre anchored by Superquinn and has a combined floor area of 209sq m (2,249sq ft) over two levels.

There are five car-parking spaces to the rear of the building which, if a sale is not agreed, will then be offered for lease at €60,000 per annum.

CBRE is also to sell the lease of the branch at Fairview Strand in Dublin 3, which is rented at €43,000 per annum. The ground floor retail area extends to 164sq m (1,765sq ft) and there is a further 51.7sq m (556sq ft|) overhead. The 35-year lease runs from 1988 and is available by way of assignment or sub-letting.

In Malahide, DTZ Sherry FitzGerald is quoting €600,000 for the former branch close to The Diamond. It has 142sq m (1,528sq ft) of floor space over two levels.

DTZ is also planning to assign the lease of the Permanent TSB branch at Rock Hill, directly opposite the Blackrock shopping centre. The premises has 160sq m (1,722sq ft) of retail space on the ground floor and a further 40sq m (430sq ft) in the basement. The passing rent is €150,000 per annum.

Jack Fagan

Jack Fagan

Jack Fagan is the former commercial-property editor of The Irish Times